Communities face unique trust challenges, but they do not have to solve them alone. When leaders connect with peers, share ideas, and learn from one another’s experiences, they can strengthen and amplify their impact.
– Olajumoke Banjo, Senior Director, Alliance for Social Trust
About the Awards
The Knowledge Exchange Awards provide up to $2,000 to help local leaders learn from peers, build partnerships, explore new approaches, and bring new ideas back to their communities.
Eligibility & Supported Activities
Knowledge Exchange Awards are open to community organizations working to strengthen trust, civic participation, social connection, and related community-building efforts.
The intent of the awards is to support direct peer-to-peer learning and new collaboration among community organizations. Awards are designed to make possible connections and shared-learning opportunities that otherwise may not be possible without funding.
Examples of eligible activities include:
- Visiting another community to learn from a peer organization
- Hosting a peer organization for shared learning, training, or collaboration
- Collaborating with another organization on a joint workshop, training, or initiative that deepens community trust- building efforts
Awards are not intended to support established or pre-planned programs or initiatives (e.g. a workshop at a conference), general program expenses, or individual professional development. Awards may also not be used for programming expenses such as meals, venue costs, or materials or used for conference registration/ attendance, political activity, or lobbying.
Questions about eligible uses? Contact us at allianceforsocialtrust@aspeninstitute.org.
Application Requirements
Applicants will be asked to provide:
- Organization details and contact information
- A brief description of the organization’s trust-building work
- A brief description of the proposed activity and expected outcomes
- A budget breakdown
Recipient Commitments
Within one month of the completed activity, recipients are asked to:
- Share a brief summary of how the awards were used, what was learned, and how the activity advanced your trust-building work.
- Share photos or videos, if available.
- Acknowledge support from the Alliance for Social Trust, an initiative of the Aspen Institute and Allstate, in any public-facing materials related to the activity.
Application Submission Timeline
Applications should be submitted at least two months before the proposed activity. Applications submitted less than two months before the proposed activity may still be considered; however, review and acceptance will depend on factors such as application volume and available funds.
Decisions will be communicated within 2-3 weeks of submission.